The real question – why does somebody think that a visually ambiguous image will make people “shit bricks”?
Here’s a direct link (SFW) to the picture of the creepy basement dude. I’m only providing because I spit in the face of the search being taken from us and found it after plowing through several forums on the Dope Ctrl-F-ing keywords, and so I was late to the game because of it.
Also, my Googlewhacking fingers broke during the original search. 
Also not seeing it,
do you mean the vaguely sort of Entish-looking face at the top of the trees?
I don’t find that creepy at all. Looks like a kid peeking around the corner to see who’s snapping pictures, and trying not to ruin the shot.
But he’s black.
-FrL-
(but seriously, I think it’s just the suprise people have felt at suddenly realizing he was there that is leading them to characterize the experience as creepy.)
Oh shit you’re right, now I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight. AHHHH!
It’s actually part OF the tree, like a head near the top of the totem pole. Save, open with paint. The nose is at 318, 74. Left eye is at 316, 71. Right eye is at 322, 71.
I still don’t understand what’s so scary about it. In the Deep South we often keep deranged black kids in our basement. They keep away rodents, bugs, and Burrowing Mormons. When I recently went into my attic to light my water heater I found one who’d been placed up there by my mother, and at first I did a doubletake because I’d forgotten he was there, then just said “Dammit Eli you scared the shit out of me!” He babbled something about wanting some jerkey and asking if we’d switched to Ameros yet and went back to guarding the heater.
Dammit now I’m going to spend all day looking at the things. Thanks, I hope you’re proud. 
On second thought:
Look on the far left. Between the first dark tree and second, is that a shadowy figure standing there? His right arm would be behind that far tree? It looks like another guy beside and a little behind him, leaning his forehead against his shoulder blade.
Serious case of the giggles, now. Thanks. 
Either way, what Frylock said. I don’t find it scary, but I could see how, if one was focused on trying to see something in the red circle, might suddenly have the mild revelation: “Oh, crap, dude on the left side I didn’t even see before!” It starts to make you wonder what the hell else you haven’t been noticing. Then you start searching for other “mindfuck” pics so you can go “Ah! Ha ha, there’s a guy in the window. Oh! Ha ha, I see that demon there! Oooh, thought you had me, but there’s a horse on fire being ridden by Medusa. Also, that tree looks like there might be a face in it, if I tilt my head sideways and squint juuuust a little bit… ah, there, you see? HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT?” Or maybe not. It’s your world, and you can paint all the happy little trees you want in it.
I may not so much be able to get behind someone going “HOLY CRAP THERE’S A DUDE THERE IMA SHIT A BRICK SRSLY”.
You’re right. At that point some serious penis would ensue.
Yeah, some of these are vaguely creepy, but I’ll tell you the one that bothered me most: anybody see the one on the “Encyclopedia Dramatica” page with the naked girl and “pedo bear” written on it? That girl looks awfully young. Yeah . . . kinda wishing I hadn’t clicked that. You might want to warn us before linking to skeevy, possibly borderline kiddie porn, you know?
No I didn’t see that one. :eek: Thanks for the warning!
Yeah, that’s it. I spent several minutes wondering what I could possibly have been looking for in the circle only to realize that some random guy was in the basement with me, and pretty danged close too.
It would be neat to find a collection of this kind of stuff that wasn’t filled with fakes and idiotic forum posts.
It’s kind of like that creepy guy in Twin Peaks.
Now I think you’re just playing with us. There’s nothing there… At best there are ‘things’ such as one might see in a cloudy sky if one were a particularly imaginative child.
Oh, no, not playing. I’ve been looking at it under some magnification and I found a few other things as well that look like manipulations. But I’m not really satisfied either. In other puzzles, when you find the answer it’s clear that you’re correct, and it shouldn’t require manipulating to find it.
Folks, please – do NOT provide direct links to sites that are not safe for workplace. The criteria is that, if you are at work and looking at the site, and your boss walks by and looks at your screen, will there be problems? If the answer is yes, then either use a two-click rule or disable your link. (You can disable the link easily by clicking OFF the “automatically parse links” below the REPLY screen. Note: not available in POST QUICK REPLY.)